Burns
by katieGMT
Summary: A potion explodes in Snapes class and he is sentenced to a few weeks of bed rest. He has to be taken care of constantly and Hermione is his healer.
1. Chapter 1

Ummmm so I was really bored. Felt like writing a story. Here it is. Probably won't have really long chapters because I get too impatient. Any hooters…

Oh am I supposed to tell everyone that this wasn't my idea? I'm pretty sure you're all clever enough to figure that out. Oh and I kept the idea of horcruxes and dead Dumbledore but we're gonna just ignore the fact that Snape killed him, cause I hated that plot line. So the horcruxes and Dumbledore are the only things I kept from book 6. I'm sorry if you're fond of stories that keep the plot line the same, but I'm not sure I liked book 6. It just pissed me off.

Chapter 1:

Jonathon sat at his table sweating. His concoction was starting to really smell and turn green. He hated potions class with a passion that every one of his classmates understood. He just could not do it. The instructions were right in front of him; however, a perfect potion had eluded him for the past six years of class. Of course, it didn't help that the professor was an evil bat with a huge stick up his ass. Where most professors try to give points for effort, this particular professor barely give points for a perfect result, whether it's a potion, test, or surprise question in the middle of class. It was the words and actions of this professor, Severus Snape, which had caused Jonathon's, dislike, and distaste for potions, also causing him much discomfort in class, which usually led him to screwing up his potions.

He looked back to his potion to see that sparks were flying to the area around him and even his classmates were getting distracted, wondering how long it would take the dreaded wrath of Professor Snape to be released. However, as they glanced up at the professor, they noticed that he was completely in the dark concerning the happenings of his class. Looking back to the potion, the class saw that the potion was becoming perilously aggressive. Jonathon decided it was time to alert the Professor. So, dreading the upcoming confrontation, Jonathon cleared his throat loudly.

"Professor Snape?"

Professor Snape wasn't paying attention to his class. He acknowledged that fact and went about daydreaming. He felt slightly bad that he was not providing adequate supervision, but if they didn't know how to make a simple headache relief potion by now, then they deserved to screw up and face the consequences. With a smirk and that thought, he allowed his mind to wander back to where it was before class started.

The war. He tried not to think about it too often, but sometimes it came unbidden into his thoughts.

After Voldemort had come back that fateful night in the graveyard, the Order of the Phoenix worked feverishly to rid the world of his presence. With the help of the Order, Harry Potter and his two friends were able to find the remaining Horcruxes and destroy them. With that task finished, they were able to finally launch an offensive on a weakened Voldemort and kill him. In retrospect, Snape decided that the end of the war had been rather anti-climactic; a simple surprise appearance by Harry, Ron, and Hermione, and a short spell was all it took to destroy a being that had caused so much devastation.

Although it was anti-climatic, it was also a joyous affair. After being updated about the confrontation, Headmistress McGonagall had thrown together a celebration in the Great Hall of Hogwarts that Dumbledore would have been proud of. Ministry attendants had surprised several by announcing the recipients of an Order of Merlin, First Class, to Harry Potter, Hermione Granger, Ron Weasley and the entire Order, including a secretly elated Severus Snape.

Snape had continued to attend Death Eater meetings, collecting what information he could and passing it on to the Order. He had been the reason for many saved lives and had helped the trio with their final confrontation. The revelation of this information to the wizarding world had earned Snape the respect he had longed for. Even he and Harry had made amends and he had acknowledged the work of the trio he had always condemned.

Thinking of the trio brought back the reason he had even remembered the war today. He had been reading the Daily Prophet when he came across an article which was supposed to bring everyone up to date with the lives of the war heroes. They had announced congratulations for Harry, who had recently completed his Auror training. They also congratulated Harry for his engagement to Ginny Weasley who he had been dating since the end of the war. Ron had been congratulated for winning MVP of the Chudley Cannons. He had been keeping for them for three years now. Then they went on to talk about Hermione. Miss Granger had gone away to continue her schooling in a prestigious wizarding university in Rome. In the article, she was congratulated for recently finishing her education and receiving a certificate in healing. Along with the certificate came many job offers. Everyone wanted this new specialized healer who had finished on the top of her class. Hermione however, had yet to decide where she wanted to take her skills.

Snape enjoyed reading about the successes of his former students. It made him happy, though he would never admit it, to know that these three were finally able to live their lives as they wanted.

"Professor Snape?"

He scowled at the boy who dared demand his attention. 'Of course,' he thought to himself. 'Jonathon. The present day Neville Longbottom is having trouble with his potion.'

"Yes, Jonathon, what did you do this time?"

"Umm, sir, I think I added the beetle wings to soon. I added it just before the 14 clockwise stirs, sir."

Snape looked up in alarm. "Get out!" he screamed. "Everyone get out quickly." While the students were running out of the room, Snape made his way swiftly to the idiot boy's cauldron. He inspected it quickly after hearing the door close and was about to clear it before anything bad happened but missed his chance by seconds.

The students who had previously occupied the potions classroom were disrupted by a loud explosion. They looked at each other in shock, and Jonathon began running towards the hospital wing to fetch Madam Pomfrey.

Minutes later, Poppy and Minerva stepped into the destruction. They searched frantically for a sign of their potions professor. They didn't like what they found. Amidst the rubble lay a prone figure. He was badly burned and unconscious.

Half an hour later, Minerva anxiously called on the only one she knew that could fix what Poppy could not.

Hermione sat in her apartment, looking at the second job offer she had received that week. This one was for St. Mungos. It was the one she had been waiting for. She had loved Italy, but she missed home, and working as a healer in the magical burn department would ensure that she would see her friends much more than she had in the past several years.

Christmas's and summers had been enough for a while. She had actually found it nice to be away from media and star gazers. She was able to meet new people and see many sights while she was in Italy, but now she was ready to be back in England, near her friends and family.

Excited at the prospect of going home, Hermione took out quill and parchment and began writing a letter to St. Mungos, asking for a meeting in a few weeks. She had just sent off the letter with her owl, Meike, when she heard a frantic call from her fire. She looked over to see her old Professor, Minerva McGonagall, sticking her head into the flames.

"Minerva? How wonderful to see…"

"Hermione! Oh thank Merlin you're home. We need your help. There was an accident in the potions classroom today. Poppy has done all she can but the burns are continuous and he is in so much pain! Poppy just doesn't have the skill that she used to, and now he is starting to go into shock…" Hermione interrupted her ramblings quickly, knowing that her old professor would go on for ages if she didn't.

"Minerva! Stop. I'm coming." She calmly stepped into the fire with her emergency bag, threw some flew powder into the flames and yelled, "Hogwarts, Hospital Wing!"

Hermione immediately deduced that the patient in question must be the sweet tempered Snape, due to the lack of other injuries. She moved hastily to the cot and cast several diagnostic charms to find that the burn from the botched potion was continuing deeper into his tissue and she also realized why Poppy was having trouble stopping the burning. She pulled an emergency cauldron from her bag and added a few ingredients before lighting a small fire to set it at a boil.

Meanwhile, Snape had begun to go into convulsions from the shock, and Hermione ordered Poppy to give him a muscle freezing potion so he couldn't hurt himself anymore. She quickly added more ingredients to her potion which would counteract the burning agent in the potion, stirred twice, and ran to Snape's side, pouring the potion down his throat.

After a few minutes, he began to relax, and the burning seemed to stop. However, the burns didn't disappear.

Minerva looked to Hermione anxiously.

"He'll be okay," she reassured the older woman, "but he is going to need a healer with him for the next few weeks, possibly a month. The burns are very deep and he will need a potion and ointment everyday. He will also need to be on bed rest until the burns have reduced to only the outer layer of the epidermis. By then he should be able to apply ointment on himself."

"Oh, Hermione, thank you so much. I don't know what we would have done if you weren't there. I didn't know what to do about that continual burn. I seem to have lost my touch in healing business." Poppy sadly hung her head, ashamed that one of her favorite people had almost been lost because of her inability.

"Poppy, don't blame yourself, please. If you hadn't been here he wouldn't have had a chance."

"Thank you, dear. I did all I could. I don't know who we are going to call for a personal healer, though. I need to be here and Minerva is much too busy. Someone is going to need to take his classes over as well." Poppy looked desperately at Minerva, wondering what she would do to sort this all out.

Minerva smirked as a light bulb came on in her head. She looked towards Hermione, who was trying to avoid the piercing gaze that Minerva had brilliantly adopted from the former headmaster.

Sighing, Hermione finally conceded to the twinkling eyes of the two devious women. "Okay, I can stay here and help, if you really want me to."

Minerva beamed wildly and immediately set into action, mumbling something about getting a guest room set up in Snape's quarters. Poppy went into her office to make tea, leaving Hermione sitting uncomfortably next to her former potions professor. She realized that by accepting her new position as Snape's caretaker, she was going to be closer to home than she thought. She was coming back to Hogwarts, and she was going to live with Professor Snape. She looked down at him to see that his eyes were opened.

"Professor," she exclaimed, "you startled me! I imagine you're in quite a bit of pain right now. I'm sure you know that one of the cauldrons exploded in your class today. I've stopped the burning that it caused, but not before it managed to burn through most layers of your skin. You're going to need a potion and ointment every day and you need to have aid with you most of the time. Since no one else is really available, I'm afraid you're going to have to deal with me for a bit longer." She stopped, realizing that he hadn't said one word yet. He was looking up at her with something she had longed to see from him since her first year at Hogwarts; respect.

"Miss Granger," he hesitated, "Thank you. I appreciate what you did for me."

She beamed down at him in surprise. "Now stop talking and get me a damn headache potion!" He chuckled as he watched her run towards the medical cabinet. "Know-it-all."

hehehe I'm so corny.


	2. Chapter 2

J. k. rowling's idea, not mine.

Chapter 2:

Snape woke up the next day in pain. Every inch of his skin felt like it was being torn off from his body. He tried moving but the action only added to the excruciating feeling that covered him. Without thought, he yelled out for help, hoping someone would be near enough to hear him. He could hear someone running around in his quarters and suddenly felt a cold liquid running down his throat.

After choking and sputtering a bit, the pain mercifully started to dull. He opened his eyes to see large brown eyes looking at him in concern. The owner of the eyes began speaking loudly.

"Professor Snape? Are you alright? Do you still feel pain?"

"Thank you, Miss Granger. I'm feeling better." He didn't know why she felt it necessary to yell, but since she held the keys to his pain relief, he thought he should at least be congenial towards her. There was an awkward pause where they just looked at each other before Snape spoke again. "So, Miss Granger, are you to be my caretaker then?"

"Yes, I am." She sounded apologetic and he decided it would probably not be a fun time. He cringed at the thought of having to be taken care of, but conceded to defeat due to the state he was in just fifteen minutes prior. He cringed also at having the know-it-all in his rooms, sharing his space, his bathroom, his bookshelves! How would he survive with such endless chatter? The questions would be relentless, of that he was sure. He would just have to make sure Miss Granger knew that he would not be up to answering any questions that weren't pertaining to his health.

Or, he could just pretend he was sleeping. He was about to put his plan in action when she got up and left him alone. 'Hmm, that worked well,' he thought with a smirk to himself.

Hermione walked into the adjoining room which was hers for the time being. The room was quite large and included a massive bed, desk, bookshelf, and a wardrobe. The furniture was all made of rich mahogany. A large rug and the bed linens were paired in a beautiful cranberry color and a comfy white recliner sat in front of the bookshelf.

Hermione decided to make quick use of the white chair and sank, boneless, into it. She reviewed the events of this morning. She hadn't been asleep, but somewhere between asleep and awake. Therefore, she was fairly disoriented when she heard a strangled cry for help. She couldn't think of who it might be, and what might be wrong. Why was someone in her apartment? Was one of the boys calling for help through the floo?

Upon opening her eyes she remembered where she was and realized Snape had probably just awoken to a ridiculous amount of pain. She had scrambled to retrieve the potion which would ultimately be his new God. She had hastily given him the potion and waited for it to take effect. Anxiety had begun to settle in the pit of her stomach for the fear that he wouldn't feel better. She was very concerned that he was hurting and would have to suffer longer than necessary. She had been very relieved when he revealed that he felt much better.

After their quick conversation she had left the room, realizing how much he hated that she was there, and that she would be there for quite a while. The look of disgust on his face had hurt. She knew he had hated her in school, but the thought that her very presence appalled him so much made her feel very terrible. She had finally proven herself to the one teacher she had always worked so hard for, and he was appalled that he had to withstand her existence.

During Hogwarts, Hermione had worked hard in all of her classes, not just to impress her teachers and classmates, but because she loved to learn and do well. She had been brought up to do her best in everything and that's how she led her life. She had been able to please herself, as well as all of her professors; all except one.

Potions class was the hardest of all the magical subjects she took during her time at Hogwarts. However, she met every challenge head to head and did very well in defeating those challenges. After each class she had handed in her potions and exams, looking to her surly professor for some type of recognition, but had been disappointed each time. He would just scowl at her and make some comment about how much of a know-it-all she was.

The insults had hurt then, and they hurt now. Hermione was discouraged about this job, but she knew that he needed someone, and, unfortunately, it had to be her.

Knowing he would be fine for a time, and not wanting to go back in his room, she set about planning her first lesson. Potions class had been cancelled for a couple days but tomorrow she would begin a short career as a teacher. She wasn't sure she would like teaching. Though she had always enjoyed the tutoring sessions she would have with other students, an entire class of students who don't really like a subject intimidated her. Not that she cared if they liked her, really, but she was afraid that she wouldn't be able to command the room like Snape had. They wouldn't pay attention. They would make stupid mistakes. They would blow her up!

"Stop working yourself up," she told herself sternly while she walked into the kitchen area for some tea. "They aren't going to blow you up. Goodness!"

She jumped in embarrassment when she heard a voice behind her. "Quite right Miss Granger. I do believe you will find the job a bit challenging, however, I do not think you managed to fail any challenge when you were in my class, and you should do fine."

Hermione turned, cheeks red, to see that the door to Professor Snape's room was open, and he was looking at her with some amusement. After her previous thoughts about him during Hogwarts, she was surprised to hear him giving her praise, so she called him on it.

"Professor, I didn't think you'd ever noticed that fact. You surely never recognized it while I was in your class. I was under the impression that you thought I was just a stupid little girl." She hoped he wouldn't snap at her, but braced herself to receive his vicious words.

Imagine her surprise when he looked at her apologetically. "Miss Granger, Hermione, I… I couldn't… I would have… you know." He stopped for a few minutes and gathered his thoughts. She was starting to doubt the fact that he really did hate her so she waited patiently for him to continue.

Snape on the other hand, found himself in a pickle. He didn't want to tell her that he had admired her hard work, because she had still annoyed him, and he was still very hesitant about their new living arrangements, but he felt bad at the amount of venom she had thrown into those words of condemnation. And it was true that he had been less than pleasant to her while she was in his class, but he couldn't very well have told her 'well done' and expected no result.

He thought she knew of his work for the order, but maybe she was just not thinking very clearly. He had been a spy for Dumbledore for around twenty years. Gathering information from Voldemort had been no easy task, and he had never been sure he would make it through the war. With the notion that he could die any day set in his mind, he wasn't usually very well tempered. Adding on the stress and fear of the war to his usually foul temperament made for a not so lovable potions master.

That, plus the fact that any kindness towards any but the slytherins would have gone straight to Voldemort's ears, had forced Snape to remain an angry person. He hadn't been able to praise even his best students and it had been awful, but it had worked. The Dark Lord would've, were he still alive, believed, to this day, that Snape was on his side. He thought that his smartest student could have figured this out, but apparently she still held onto the conviction that he hated her, along with all of her little friends.

Now he had to figure out how to dissolve this idea from her brain without letting her think she had his permission to badger him with questions.

"Hermione, I was under the impression that you knew I was working as a spy for the order." He looked at her for confirmation, saw her nod, and continued. "The prospect of my position being revealed to the sons of powerful death eaters was a strong deterrence against singing any praises to students who weren't in Slytherin house. I am… sorry that I was not able to encourage your growth in potions, however, the war would simply not allow it. I hope you understand."

He waited in silence while she contemplated his words. She knew what he was saying was true, and she felt stupid for not having realized the danger of him being nice to her, a Gryffindor and best friend of Harry Potter. Of course he would have to act like he hated her. She felt better immediately.

Noticing the time, she walked into his room and grabbed the potion from his side table and began applying it to his burns. She did this to look busy, because she wasn't exactly sure how to respond. Should she forgive him? Tell him she understood? She opted to just stayed quiet, and calmly apply the potion.

Snape was watching her while she cared for him so gently. She looked so nervous, like she was biting her lip from saying the wrong thing. He noticed that she had become quite pretty since she left school. Or maybe she looked the same, but he had never noticed before. Either way, he was noticing now. She, however, was looking at his burns, avoiding eye contact, but she finally looked up and spoke.

"I'm going to be teaching your class while you are unable." He looked surprised at this change in subject. He had been informed of her duties while he was incapacitated, though it still surprised him that she was to take his teaching position. She was a healer, and therefore knew much about potions, but enough to teach a class? She saw his confusion and continued. "Not many people know, it was never in the papers, but I actually earned the title of Mistress in Potions while I was at University along with my healing certification. But I've never taught before, and tomorrow is my first class. I'm very nervous about it, as you could probably deduce from my earlier ramblings." She laughed at herself a bit, and Severus realized that he was forgiven.

"I believe that with a strong background in Potions you will be able to conquer any classroom. So long as you do not let them get away with much. I know I took the role of bastard a bit too far," she snorted at this, while he ignored her, "but until this past week, I have never had a serious accident occur in my class. On the other hand, someone who was nicer to their students might be able to make friends with the students but they may also wind up with a student getting seriously injured."

Hermione thought about his words, and decided he had a point. Even Neville had never gone so far as to blow up the entire classroom, and no one had ever been seriously injured in any of her classes. Snape's point had some merit, and she determined that she would practice some of his tough love while she was in the classroom.

Noticing that her poor Professor had just attempted to stifle a yawn, Hermione decided he was due for some rest. She went to his desk and grabbed a dreamless sleep potion and helped him drink it. She presented him with a wide smile, which only grew wider when he returned it sleepily.

Just before Severus fell into a deep sleep he heard her whisper "thank you" and pet his hair back on his head. He mumbled an incoherent "you're welcome" back before slipping into unconsciousness.

In another part of the castle, a group of Gryffindors sat around their very upset friend, trying to calm him down. Jonathon Diamanti had just heard the worst news of his life. The past couple of days had been all fun and games, but tomorrow, tomorrow would be the end of the road for him. Professor McGonagall had announced at lunch that potions classes were to resume tomorrow, and he knew, deep in his heart, that Snape was going to kill him. He had seen Snape snap over the smallest occurance of rule breaking, and now he was going to see the professor's wrath at his worst.

Of course, Jonathon figured, he could always skip class, but he couldn't do that all year, and avoidance might make the impending confrontation worse. So he decided on his next best option. He would go to McGonagall after dinner, and tell her that he was dropping out of Hogwarts. So what if he was about to graduate, he couldn't graduate if Snape killed him!

His only problem now was, getting his friends to listen. They didn't understand. He was going to be tortured and killed if he didn't leave! But they just kept trying to calm him down.

"Hey, man. At least he'll probably make it quick" Robert was never very good at comforting people, and Patti walloped him in the head for his effort before taking her turn.

"Jonathon, Snape won't kill you! He probably will just give you detention until we graduate, but if you're lucky it will be with Hagrid or something." This didn't make Jonathon feel much better either.

"Guys, leave 'im alone now! Johnny!" His best friend, Scotty O'Brien exclaimed. "Snape can't kill you, man! He would go to Azkaban. I don't think he wants to do that, and plus, I bet ole' Pomfrey fixed him up quick enough. I bet he's not even that mad anymore, and if he gives ya a few detentions, we'll appeal to McGonagall. She'll hear us out. You'll be fine. Just come to class tomorrow. I promise, me and the boys won't let 'im harm ya. Okay?"

David's words had helped calm Jonathon a bit, and he thought, maybe he would wait it out one day to see how it went. He just hoped he had the ability to reflect on it later.

A/N: Well, thanks for the reviews on the first chapter. They made my day  I hope can get another chapter out before I go back to school next Sunday (can't wait), but I'm not sure. My friend's parents are gonna be out of town so I might have to spend some time with my friends Vodka, Rum and Coke. Hehehe and a hung over kate is not a very productive kate. But I'll do my best. Expecially if you keep reviewing. ;-) Okay…bye bye


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